A THRILLING TALE OF THE SEA

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2106, 15 April 1889, Page 2

A THRILLING TALE OF THE SEA

The British ship Stephen D. Horton, 1.62Q tpns, wi|h a full orew on board, laden with jute and saltpetre, from Calcutta, was about 400 miles off the ooaafc of Peroatnbaoo, In mid-ocean, when the ory of fire was raised. The saltpetre had exploded, and soon afterwards the ship was In flames. Throughout the dreadful eaene the captain's young wife, who was od board, 'stood by (he men at work, and encouraged them to preserve khelr presenoe of mlnot, and when hone was abandoned she assisted |p lowering the lifeboats wlthont for a moment loilng aelf-oommsnd. One boat . with nine sailors |nd Mrs Lewis was lowered suooesßfully, b^t had aoarpely been launched when • panig pneued among the teo' nf the orew, The icoroblng flames were more than •ihey could endure. Driven to desperation, eight of them jumped wildly into the sea and swam away from tho burning ship. One seamaD, named Davles, was overcome by the smoke and dropped Into the flames, being consumed before the eyes of his comrades, whilst another Bailor eank shortly after he took the fatal leap. Two boats, fully laden, then rowed away, and headed for Pornambnoo. For three days and three nlghta the two boats, with ten persona m eaoh, wore toßaing about the Atlantic, eaoh person only having half a biscuit and a pint of water per day to live on, when, after suffering Intensely from the burning eon, they were ploked up by the barque Twilight, from Cardiff, and landed setfely at Pornambuoo,